Letter: Voting progress

Published on Monday 21 February 2011 15:01

Regarding the proposed introduction of the alternative vote (AV) for Westminster elections, John R Murdoch (Letters, 21 February) wonders how voters are to "put, in preferential order, people they have never heard of, let alone recognise".

The current first-past-the-post system is no better in this respect. There is no reason to believe that a system in which voters specifying a single candidate of whom they know nothing leads to better selection of politicians.

Fortunately, however, the question has already been answered. At the last Scottish council elections, voters successfully elected councillors using the single transferable vote, which appears identical to AV when voters complete their ballot paper. There is nothing to fear from reform of the electoral system.

(Dr) Geraint Bevan

Grovepark Gardens

Glasgow